The Lord and the Lady
by Lirenel
Summary: Elizabeth Weir and Steven Caldwell discuss the Lord of the Rings craze that has taken Atlantis. Sequel to 'The Steward and the Shieldmaiden' and 'The King and the Elfmaiden'. Caldweir.


_Title: The Lord and the Lady  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Stargate Atlantis, nor am I making money off of this.  
Author Note: This will probably be the last of the SGA/LOTR ficlets that started with 'The Steward and the Shieldmaiden' and continued in 'The King and the Elf-maiden'. As before, another rare pairing: Caldwell/Weir. I use a few more vague Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales references, but they should be explained well, or be self-explanatory. _

* * *

Elizabeth Weir sighed as she stared at the computer screen, her eyes not actually reading the mission report that was on it. It had been a long month. First the Daedalus broke down completely after an engagement with the Wraith, and she was stuck with having to deal with fixing the ship and supplying the crew. Then there was little disaster after little disaster that just culminated in a string of problems that she had to deal with at every hour of every day. She was actually grateful for the help that Colonel Steven Caldwell had given her, dealing with each new emergency, even after the Daedalus was repaired enough for them to return to Earth. His help, frankly, gave her enough time to actually get a few hours of sleep at night. Now she had a backlog of mission reports to read, but her head was spinning with numbers and thoughts that kept her from being able to concentrate. Giving up, she looked around quickly before pulling up another window and settling back in her chair. 

"Am I interrupting another game of solitaire?"

Elizabeth sat up with a jolt as Steven Caldwell walked into her office. Glancing at the clock, she realized she had been reading for nearly half an hour. She silently huffed at the sly smile on the Colonel's face as she gathered herself together. "I was catching up on mission reports.

Steven was not fooled. "I've been here for awhile now, and while some of the missions were interesting, I've read enough mission reports in my lifetime to know that the reports themselves are _not_ that engrossing."

She sighed and slumped slightly in her chair. "You caught me," she said and handed over the computer tablet.

The Air Force Colonel raised his eyebrows. "Tolkien's _Silmarillion_?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Believe it or not, I'm actually reading this for morale purposes. It seems that ever since Dr. McKay and Teyla…began seeing each other last Christmas, almost everyone in Atlantis is trying to figure out who each person should be on the 'list'."

"Ah, the list of 'Who's what Middle Earth character' first started when a nameless colonel, who may or may not be the military commander of Atlantis and the leader of your premier offworld team, posted a list online, created by Dr. McKay and Teyla, that equated members of the expedition with characters from Tolkien's works."

Surprised, she asked, "You know about it?"

Steven's eyes sparkled with humor, and his smile lent a warmth to his presence that Elizabeth had, the past month, found herself noticing more and more when they talked. "I haven't been enlightened to the _entire_ content of the list, but after over a month here, I'm quite aware of its existence. I had to placate an irate marine from the Daedalus who was accidentally congratulated on being equated with Ungoliant."

Elizabeth winced. "Hence the fact that I'm reading _the Silmarillion_, after reading the trilogy. I do _not_ want to make that mistake, um, again."

The colonel bit back a laugh. "And may I ask who the expedition decided you are?"

She found herself struggling to keep from blushing…from the question, not his smile, obviously. "Actually, I was one of the original equatees, so to speak, that Rodney thought up. Apparently, being in charge of Atlantis makes me like Galadriel the Lady of Lothlorien." Elizabeth sighed and slumped slightly in her chair, still feeling the exhaustion that had been dogging her the whole hectic month. She mumbled to herself, "Though she had the advantage of a Lord of Lothlorien to help her rule." Shaking her head, Elizabeth hoped Caldwell had not heard that last sentence. Though she was surprised to realize that it was more because she did not want him to feel unappreciated for his efforts, than because she did not want him to think her weak and unable to govern the city by herself.

Steven, though, either did not hear her confession or chose to ignore it. "Hmm, Galadriel. I believe she was known to be proud, wise, rebellious," he glanced at Elizabeth pointedly, "and stubborn." Seeing that Elizabeth looked slightly insulted, he changed the subject. "I don't suppose you can tell me if I've been equated with anyone." He let out a short laugh when Elizabeth would not look him in the eye. "I have a feeling I'll be someone like Lord Denethor in his 'let me burn myself and my son' days, or Mim the Petty Dwarf."

Elizabeth did not recognize the second name and figured that there was more to Steven Caldwell's knowledge of Middle Earth than met the eye. Though she could still not meet his. "The list has you as some elf named – " Her voice became inaudible as she mumbled something.

Caldwell leaned forward. "Sorry, didn't catch that."

Elizabeth found herself trying not to blush _again_. "An elf named…Teleporno." Before Steven could say anything, she rushed to continue. "I asked Teyla who he was, and she assured me that it wasn't anything bad, not matter how the name…sounds. She didn't tell me who he was, just that his personality and relationships fit yours the best."

Amazingly, Caldwell's smile just grew bigger. "Oh, I'm actually quite pleased. He's an elf mentioned in the _Unfinished Tales_. During the course of his life he becomes a great elf lord of Laurelindórinan, fights both Morgoth and Sauron, and marries the beautiful and wise elf-lady Artantis. Frankly, I would be happy to be Teleporno, despite the name. Especially considering who they related Artanis to."

Elizabeth frowned, not liking the enamored look in Steven's eyes when he referred to, well, whomever the list related to this Artanis. She made a mental note to investigate this woman. Maybe it would be better to send her back to Earth. Through the Stargate. Perhaps to a posting in Antarctica. For several years. To keep the impending fraternization from hurting the Stargate Program, of course. "I don't remember seeing the name 'Artantis' on the list."

The grin on Caldwell's face was beginning to irritate her; it felt like he was reading her thoughts. "Oh, Artanis is just her father-name. She's usually known by the name her husband gave her. Tolkien tended to give his characters several names each. Teleporno is actually the less known name of the character called…"

He was interrupted when Chuck the Gate-technician bounded through the office door. "Dr. Weir, Colonel Caldwell. Major Lorne's team just reported in, they're pinned down under enemy fire and are calling for backup!"

The two sighed in unison as the technician retreated, before they stood up and headed towards the control room. As they walked, Steven leaned over and whispered the end of his sentence. "…a character called Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien and husband of Galadriel."

If anyone in the control room noticed the matching smiles on the faces of Doctor Weir and Colonel Caldwell, no one said anything, busy as they were with the impending crisis. And the residents of Atlantis took comfort in the fact that, together, the two leaders would stand firm in the face of danger and take any necessary steps to protect their people, their city,…and each other

_On two chairs beneath the bole of the tree and canopied by a living bough there sat, side by side, Celeborn and Galadriel…Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful. – The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien  
_

* * *

It took me forever to find a suitable quote, and I'm still not that thrilled with it. And that's after looking through everything including the History of Middle Earth._  
_


End file.
